S F I organizes State level convention against Communalization of Education in Odhisa

A state level convention against Communalisation of Education was organised by S F I, Odisha organized state level education convention against Communalization of Education. Shatarup Ghosh, All India Jt. Secretary of SFI participated in it and spoke on the topic. He said that Communalising education, like any other form of communalism, is not a religious but a political project. Religious fascist forces like the RSS and the BJP have been trying to do this through their social activities. And whenever they got a chance to run governments in states or the centre, they have utilized the state machineries in every possible way to modify the curriculum and teach the RSS propaganda in the name of history. He mentioned some of the recent comments made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Ganesha’s head was replaced by that of an elephant through plastic surgery and Karna was born out of IVF procedure; and pointed out that these are not only a distorted representation of Mahabharata. But there is an underlying objective. Very cleverly and subtly the P.M. is trying to suggest that Ramayana and Mahabharata are not epics but history.

Shatarup Ghosh also talked about the history of betrayal of the Freedom Movement by the RSS and said that the ruling classes try to communalise young minds because communal polarization destroys the fighting unity of the masses. The energy of the people which could have been used to fight the oppressors is used up in fighting among themselves. This eventually consolidates the hierarchical position of the ruling class in a class divided society.

This is a challenge towards the secular and pluralistic fabric of our society. So the entire student community must be united against this dangerous trend.

Prof. Surendra Jena, leader of the teachers’ movement in Odhisa, spoke on the burning crisis of education and its dangerous consequences. Along with it he spoke on the neo-liberal and anti people education policies and communalization of education. Jena called for the unification of the students’ community against such policies.